


Drunk, And In Charge Of A Bicycle

by Jayne L (JayneL)



Category: Smallville
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-06-01
Updated: 2002-06-01
Packaged: 2017-10-06 02:01:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayneL/pseuds/Jayne%20L
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>And ten minutes ago he'd been <i>bored</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drunk, And In Charge Of A Bicycle

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to MaryKate for another speedy beta.
> 
> Written for Livia's Bradbury Titles Challenge.

With all attendant derogatory cliche, Victoria is like the town bicycle.

Lex isn't drunk. He's _not_, despite the ample reasons he really should be,  
but he has downed enough brandy to find the insult that just swam to the  
top of his mind to be worth a quick twist of a grin. His mirth is hidden,  
appropriately enough, by the complicated style Victoria's hair is in this  
evening, as he strolls up behind her and presses an anonymous kiss just  
over her left ear.

She doesn't turn around, but leans back into him, never breaking  
attention from the conversation she's nodding along to between two  
portly--and oblivious--CEOs. Lex knows them only enough to be fairly  
certain that they wouldn't be interested in Victoria's offer of  
transportation: Rufus Gordon has been out since the seventies, and Josiah  
Granville's still holding that grudge against Churchill.

Lex is bored by this gathering, which his father is hosting in the  
Metropolis Commercial Tower's banquet hall. The guest list consists mostly  
of men older--if not richer--than Lionel, men whose business practises are  
so out of date that the companies they own will be ripe for takeover as  
soon as they die. Since a great number of the attendant barons are  
hobbling around on next-to-last legs already, this soiree is little more  
than a last pretence at civility: a chance for Lionel Luthor to shake  
hands and make false assurances so the old bastards can feel free to die  
under the assumption that their legacies will be safe once they're gone.

Absolutely none of them are fooled. Lex hasn't yet decided whether he'll  
share with his father the conversation he overheard in the men's room, in  
which the head of Wainwright Castings Inc. swore to his private nurse that  
he damn well refused to die until he saw the anti-trust crusaders catch up  
to LuthorCorp and "carve it into bloody pieces".

Lex has slept with the man's great-granddaughter. He applauds the notion,  
but can't take it too seriously.

Aside from a trophy wife or two, Lex had spent most of the  
mind-crushingly boring evening under the impression that he was the  
youngest person there. When he noticed Victoria navigating the sea of  
geriatrics with two very large drinks clutched in her hands, he'd been  
mildly surprised to note his extreme _lack_ of surprise; after the  
unpleasant business of Cadmus Labs--and Victoria's subsequent falling-out  
with Sir Harry--Lex imagined she would have had to pick up the pieces the  
best way she knew how. It _shouldn't_ be a surprise to find her attached,  
in whatever capacity, to a wealthy man too decrepit to find companionship  
elsewhere. The only part of her behaviour that's at all unexpected is her  
willingness to accompany her current "just business" partner to a party  
thrown by the man with whom she cheated on his son.

Lex pauses, and considers that last thought before deciding that it is  
_factually_ correct, though maybe not grammatically. He shrugs it off; he  
knows he's always been better with science.

Victoria still hasn't turned around, but he can't imagine that she  
doesn't know whose chest she's leaning into, ever more suggestively; if  
nothing else, the fact that he has muscles under his shirt instead of a  
golden-aged barrel-belly should tip her off. Or maybe his cologne's  
distinct lack of Asper-Cream overtones...

Then again, Victoria's never really been known for her deductive  
reasoning skills. Taking pity on her--and her attempt at a show of  
faithfulness to whoever she's with tonight--Lex tilts his head so his lips  
almost buzz against her earlobe and murmurs, "Fascinating party, don't you  
think?"

Her spine straightens--she's pressed herself in so tightly, he thinks he  
can feel individual vertebrae shift--but she doesn't move away, and when  
she turns to face him, her mouth is curved into a coy smile. "Lex. I was  
wondering when we'd find each other."

"Really?" Lex widens his eyes in feigned innocence. "I didn't know I was  
supposed to be searching."

"Oh, Lex." She laughs, fluttering and slightly too brittle. She still  
hasn't backed away, and Lex thinks he's been almost this close to her in  
bed. "Tease if you like; you're not going to ruin my good mood."

"You do seem to be having a good time." Lex lets his gaze flicker for a  
moment to the almost-empty champagne flute dangling between her fingers;  
it's not the first--or third--glass he's seen her carrying this evening.  
"I have to admit, I didn't expect to see you here. I didn't know my father  
had included the Hardwicks on the guest list."

"Yes, well..." Victoria turns a little to place her glass on a nearby  
table, the movement a beat too late to hide the momentary dimming of her  
smile. By the time she turns back, she's recovered, and she sounds  
perfectly blase as she talks around what Lex already knows. "Actually, I'm  
not working for Hardwick Enterprises anymore. I've never been very  
interested in the business, and--do you remember my cousin Royston? He's  
always wanted to work with Daddy, and I decided I quite like it here in  
the States, so we've had a bit of a management shuffle to accommodate  
everyone." She pauses, arching an eyebrow, and when she continues her tone  
could etch steel. "I thought you might've heard. We are just another  
subsidiary of LuthorCorp now, after all."

"Oh, that's right." Lex offers a self-deprecating smile. "With so many of  
them, it gets hard to keep track."

"Mmm." She nods, slowly, and manages to step back--finally, if only a few  
inches--in a way that looks almost entirely casual. "Right, of course."

"So," he continues after a moment, arranging his expression into one of  
earnest inquiry to keep himself from smirking, "how are you, Victoria?  
It's been so long, and I've obviously lost track where you're  
concerned..."

Her answering smile is dazzling, if held together by pride and designer  
wet lipstick. "I'm splendid, thanks. In fact--" she tosses her head  
slightly, as if realigning her posture from the shoulders up in  
preparation for her next declamation "--I've met someone."

"Really?"

"He's the reason I'm here tonight, actually." Victoria waits; Lex simply  
looks at her expectantly until she blinks and presses on, the fingers of  
her right hand twitching at the fabric of her dress as she speaks. "His  
boss wanted him here for some reason, and since he knew it was going to be  
all--well, _this_\--he asked me to come along, give him someone interesting  
to talk to." Another laugh, and suddenly her hands meet in front of her so  
she can pick at her nails. "His boss has kept him so busy, though, I've  
hardly seen him. I think I should have begged off to wash my hair."

Lex chuckles gamely, and is mildly intrigued despite himself. Not one of  
the old barons, then; one of their nurses? He hasn't noticed many personal  
aides or secretaries... "Business gatherings can be boring when you're not  
doing any business," he commiserates. "I'm sure the shampoo would have  
been much more fulfilling for you. Quite frankly, I'm surprised this man  
of yours didn't take that into consideration."

Victoria looks startled, then forces another smile despite the sudden  
grind of her teeth. "He's a wonderful man," she says, not quite managing  
to keep the edge out of her voice. "We make each other very happy."

"I'm sure you do." It's so hard not to sound condescending. Lex ignores  
the way Victoria is systematically chipping the hell out of a very  
expensive French manicure, and instead glances up and around the room. "So  
who's the lucky guy? Do I know him?" A beat. "His boss?"

Still pretending to search the room for familiar faces, Lex watches out  
of the corner of his eye as Victoria's mouth opens, then closes, then  
pulls into a moue of contemplation. "I...think so," she says finally,  
casually. "He's very well-known in your circles, really, I wouldn't be  
surprised if--"

"Lex! There you are." The voice comes unexpectedly from behind him, and  
makes Victoria jump. It continues with barely a pause, and Lex very  
carefully does not roll his eyes as he pivots on his heel to face the  
latest annoyance. "Your father's been looking for you, he wants you with  
him when he speaks to Octavia von Stedlhaus..."

The expression on Dominic's face when he gets close enough to see who Lex  
is with is enough to make the whole night worthwhile. Already flushed a  
diffuse pink--high colour the result of some of the drinks Lex has seen  
Victoria ferrying around the room tonight, no doubt--his cheeks tinge a  
darker red, and his eyes dart between Lex and Victoria, widening to the  
point where they seem like three-dimensional entities completely outside  
his head. His mouth has fallen open, all directions from Lionel apparently  
forgotten, and Lex is delighted to realize that the only other time he's  
seen Dominic this flustered was when the man thought his scotch had been  
poisoned.

A quick glance back at Victoria confirms the blush heating her face under  
her makeup; unlike Dominic, however, she has her expression under control,  
and has arched a brow in something like defiance--despite the fact that  
she can't quite seem to meet Lex's eyes. As the silence stretches, his  
estimation of her rises the tiniest fraction: after all, she was  
considerate enough to provide some really spectacular entertainment to  
liven up his evening.

Another taut moment passes before Lex clears his throat and offers a  
smirk that has no hope of passing for the somewhat less obviously amused  
smile he thinks he should have tried for. "What I find interesting about  
this situation," he says conversationally, glancing from Victoria to  
Dominic and completely failing to catch their eyes, "is how utterly easy  
it would have been to avoid."

This earns him a sullen glare from under Dominic's furrowed brow. His  
words slur slightly as he mutters, "Your father seemed certain you weren't  
going to come."

"And miss all this excitement? Come now, Dominic, you know me better than  
that." Lex remembers signing the RSVP personally; his father knew damn  
well he was going to be here tonight. "And even if you don't, you should  
know my father well enough to know that he doesn't manage my appointment  
calendar. Really..." and now his smirk has hardened into something Lex  
can't possibly pretend isn't a grin "...why take the chance?"

Dominic, obviously feeling the effects of the evening's drinks, is at a  
loss. Victoria, however, straightens her shoulders, steps smartly around  
Lex and threads one arm decisively around Dominic's waist, pulling herself  
in close beside him. Lex is amused to note the two inches or so of height  
she has on her date. "Pettiness doesn't suit you, Lex," she says, tossing  
her head and finally meeting his gaze. "You might not like seeing us  
together, but we are. And you're being rude."

It takes a monumental amount of willpower, but Lex reigns in his grin,  
despite Victoria's admirable attempt at maturity and Dominic's involuntary  
flinch. "Am I? You'll have to forgive me, Victoria, I'm not used to seeing  
evidence that Dominic has a life outside of the office. To tell you the  
truth, I'm happy to see that he's getting out a little, broadening his  
horizons." He smiles fixedly, just long enough to make Victoria's  
confidence falter. Then, turning his attention to Dominic, Lex continues  
very sincerely, "Congratulations, Dominic, on making it out of my father's  
offices for a night or two. Of course, you've only progressed as far as  
his bedroom on this try, but who knows where you'll go next? Kitchen?  
Front hall closet?"

Victoria gasps, her face turning bright pink. Dominic, his eyes turning  
more bloodshot with each passing second, glares at Lex's chin. "His isn't  
the only bedroom she's been in lately, is it," he says gruffly, earning  
another startled hiss of breath from Victoria, who pulls away from him as  
if physically stung.

Lex angles his head thoughtfully, pretending to mull this over. "No,  
probably not," he says finally, ignoring the look Victoria stabs his way  
before turning it back on her date. He pauses for a moment to admire the  
silent volley of promised death, then says smoothly, "Anyway, as much fun  
as this is, I believe my father is looking for me. If you'll excuse me, I  
think I'll leave you two...alone."

He counts the seconds as he weaves away through the room. The sound of a  
ringing slap cuts through the buzz of the crowd between four and five, and  
Lex doesn't bother trying to hide his grin.

And ten minutes ago he'd been _bored_.

End.


End file.
